


Sweetest Christmas

by tariana



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Advent Calendar, Christmas, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-06-18 12:28:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15485748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tariana/pseuds/tariana
Summary: From the prompt: 4. It's 8th year and in the spirit of interhouse unity, Draco Malfoy offers to share his sweets from home with Harry Potter.





	Sweetest Christmas

Draco looked up from the Slytherin table as he heard the familiar squawk of his mother's owl. The beautiful bird circled the Great Hall with all the other owls who were similarly laden with packages, then landed on the table at Draco's elbow. Draco took the package, and the owl snatched up a piece of bacon from his plate, then launched herself into the air in a showy display of wings.

Draco quickly untied the string holding the package shut, and opened the box to reveal a smaller box, elaborately wrapped in silver paper decorated with moving silver snakes. Attached was a card with his name in his mother's elegant handwriting. He opened the card first.

My dear Draco,

I regret that we will not be able to spend these Christmas holidays together. Your father does not feel it is safe for us to reveal our whereabouts yet. I have sent Headmistress McGonagall a message, requesting that you stay at Hogwarts over the winter holiday and she has agreed. I hope that, since I am not able to share it with you, you will share the enclosed gift with a friend.

With love,

Mother

Draco stared disbelievingly at the card, and as he did, the letters blurred in front of his eyes. He swiped angrily at the tears before they could fall. One of the only things that he had held onto, that had kept him sane this term, was the knowledge that he could see his parents at Christmas -- or rather, his mother. His father could take a long walk off the proverbial short pier, as far as Draco was concerned. Without that possibility, now the month of December looked so much darker, so much colder. He would be at Hogwarts, nearly alone, for nearly an entire month.

The advent calendar he found when he opened the silver wrappings was beautiful, but as he looked at it, Draco felt his heart constrict and expand uncomfortably. The calendar was modeled on a traditional Christmas tree, with vibrantly colored decorations making up each day's gift.

When Draco opened the small door marked "1" he saw that there were two pieces of bright paper-wrapped candy in the hole. His mother had said he was to share the advent calendar with someone, but who?

He looked around the Slytherin table, considering and rejecting everyone sitting there. Some of them would take it to mean that he was interested in them romantically, which wouldn't be true. Some would take it as some sort of political move, his trying to restore himself to his previous social level. That wouldn't be true either.

Draco sadly considered that he really didn't have a friend in Slytherin to share the calendar with, not a real one. He looked around the Great Hall at large, growing more and more discouraged with each face that he saw.

A bell signaled that the students in the Hall only had a few minutes to get to classes, so Draco gathered his things and prepared to leave. He slung his schoolbag over his shoulder, and carrying the advent calendar, made his way out of the hall. As he walked slowly out, eyes downcast, he was jostled by Harry Potter, who was nearly running. Draco knew Harry had gotten detention from Snape for being late one day earlier this week, and it looked like he was doing his best to avoid it again. Harry skidded to a stop, turning to say, "Sorry, Draco, Snape, you know..."

Suddenly, without quite knowing what he was doing, Draco found himself holding out the advent calendar to Harry, who looked it at and then up at Draco questioningly. Harry moved closer and plucked the candies from the slot Draco had opened. Handing one to Draco, he unwrapped the other and popped it into his mouth. Draco quickly unwrapped his too, finding a jawbreaker, and their eyes both went wide as the extreme sour lemon flavour hit their tongues and steam came out of their ears.

Sucking the jawbreaker into his cheek, Harry grinned around it, and said, "Thanks, Draco," before turning and running down the hall toward class. Draco followed at a more leisurely pace, feeling slightly unsettled by the whole thing. As he was taking his seat in Potions, he saw Harry take the jawbreaker out of his mouth and offer it to Weasley, who took it and put it in his mouth, then almost immediately handed it back when he evidently found it too sour for his taste. Harry put it back in his mouth, apparently unconcerned by the fact that it had just been in Weasley's mouth. Draco watched the whole exchange with narrowed eyes.

The next morning, Draco was waiting outside the potions classroom when Harry arrived with Weasley and Granger.

"Go on in, you guys," Harry said, and they did, although not without giving Harry (and Draco, by association) odd looks.

Harry smiled up at Draco, green eyes sparkling behind his glasses. "Hi."

"Hi," Draco replied, and held out the calendar. Harry found the door marked "2" and lifted the tab, revealing two flat, foil-wrapped discs. These were peppermint-flavored candy covered with bitter dark chocolate, which made their breath frost, and earned Draco another smile and another "thank you" from Harry. And there was nothing to share with Weasley this time -- the chocolate had melted away too quickly.

The third day, Harry came over to the Slytherin table to get his candy before Draco was even done with his breakfast. He placed the piece of sugared orange peel gently in Draco's hand, and if Harry's fingers lingered there a bit too long, surely it was just Draco's imagination.

The fourth day, Harry was waiting outside Transfiguration with his hand out, palm up. Draco quickly opened the day's tab, revealing ribbon candy that tied itself into bows. Harry stuck his bow-bedecked tongue out at Draco before biting into his candy with a crunching noise.

The fifth day, Harry followed Draco to the dungeons and waited outside the Slytherin common room while Draco retrieved the calendar, which he'd forgotten. Harry accepted his spice drop with a smile, then grimaced when it turned out to be sage- flavoured. "They mean "spice" literally? he asked, and Draco nodded.

The sixth day, Harry was outside potions again, and again he shared his exploding gum with Weasley.

The seventh day, it was a small roll of sour wafers. Harry sorted through his, handing the green ones to Draco. Draco looked up, surprised. "How did you know the green ones are my favorite?" Harry stammered something unintelligible, and beat a hasty retreat into the Great Hall for breakfast.

The eighth day, it was a lollipop with a telescoping stick, the ninth a piece of very realistic-looking rock candy that thankfully didn't taste like a rock.

The tenth day was the day that everyone went home for the Christmas holidays, and Harry, who would be at Hogwarts over the holidays, was so busy saying goodbye to all his friends that it was late in the day before he found Draco. Draco saw Harry carrying his broom as he stepped onto the Quidditch pitch, and he flew down to the ground. After opening and eating the foil-wrapped white chocolate tigers, they roared at each other and laughed, then Harry challenged Draco to a Seeker's game. When they returned to the school after nearly an hour, they sneaked down to the kitchen, where Dobby fixed them hot mulled cider and biscuits.

The eleventh day found them sharing candy that fizzed and crackled audibly in their mouths, the twelfth milk chocolate wreaths that sparkled with fairy lights on their wrappings, and the thirteenth, cinnamon hard candies that were charmed to look as though they were aflame.

The fourteenth day, they played Wizard chess most of the day in the Great Hall, and as they did they ate the tiny pieces of sour candy that each turned their tongues a different color.

The fifteenth day, there were marshmallow snowmen that inflated to palm-size once removed from their wrapping. The sixteenth, Harry was gleeful to find a candy he proclaimed to be very similar to a Muggle sweet named Reese's. Draco liked it a lot -- peanut butter and chocolate was a lovely combination.

The seventeenth day, Draco unwrapped red paper to find a solid square of dark chocolate. Harry's eyes followed the path Draco's hand took with the chocolate to his mouth and lingered there while Draco ate it. Draco looked at Harry carefully, arching an eyebrow, but Harry chose that moment to stuff his entire square of chocolate into his mouth, and the moment passed without any further comment.

The eighteenth day they spent walking outside, bringing along a picnic lunch and the by now rather tattered calendar. Harry cast a warming spell on the ground and they spread out Draco's cloak to sit on. After sandwiches and tea, there were long ropes of sour watermelon flavour. Harry slurped his into his mouth like a child might slurp spaghetti, lips pursed, and as Harry had done the day before, Draco watched Harry's mouth. He thought that Harry had noted this, but Harry didn't say anything about it.

The nineteenth day there was self-inflating bubble gum, the twentieth, star-shaped candies that shot fireworks, and the twenty-first it was chocolate again, this time with an almond inside.

The twenty-second day there were gummy fish that swam in their hands, and the twenty-third day were small, rainbow-colored dots with a crunchy shell and a chewy inside, all coated with sour sugar, that changed flavour between the two layers.

The twenty-fourth day, they spent in Draco's room, playing Exploding Snap and talking about many different things. The day passed enjoyably this way, and about eleven, Dobby brought them a very late supper. When Draco set the calendar on the table after the meal, Harry took his time opening the star-shaped tab at the top. He removed the pieces of candy, but instead of giving Draco his, he held onto it. He stood and walking around the small table, held his hand out. Draco took it, and found himself pulled up from his armchair and into a hug. Harry was several inches shorter than Draco, but as Draco brought his arms up to return the hug, he found that the slight frame was surprisingly well-muscled.

Harry looked up at Draco and smiled. "This was fun. Thank you for choosing me to share it with."

"You're welcome," Draco murmured, smiling down at Harry. Harry dropped his arms, releasing Draco from the hug, and Draco did the same. Harry moved back a step.

Draco held out his hand and Harry placed the final candy, a chocolate-covered cherry, into it. As Draco brought the cherry up to his mouth, his wrist was suddenly caught in a strong grip from Harry's hand. Harry brought Draco's hand to his own mouth, and carefully took the chocolate between his teeth. He chewed and swallowed, then held up his own cherry for Draco to take.

Draco did, barely tasting it. All his attention was on Harry, who was blushing brightly but looking into Draco's eyes with frank interest.

Suddenly, Harry surged forward, covering the small distance between them and pushing Draco back into the armchair, and then Draco found himself with a lapful of Harry Potter, who was kissing him quite enthusiastically.

"Wanted... to do that... since the day with the dark chocolate," Harry said between kisses. Draco smiled and kissed Harry again. "I'm glad you got around to it."

Just then, the clock chimed twelve, officially announcing the beginning of Christmas.

"Happy Christmas, Draco," Harry said.

"Happy Christmas, Harry," Draco said, and smiled.

Candy completely aside, this was the sweetest Christmas on record.


End file.
